Melissa Guerra says every household has its own food dialect. “Cuisine really lives within homes,” she says, and it starts with the distinct rituals and dishes of the homemaker’s family. Her own food dialect derives from the eighth-generation South Texas ranch she grew up on. “There,” she says, “we were very isolated. We actually had our own language dialect. We had our own comfort foods.” The food dialect on the ranch was based in beans and tortillas, which her family ate every day. Understanding the food dialects of people throughout Latin America inspires Guerra’s work today.